Extract from ABC News
Soaring above the dinosaurs, flying reptiles described as "demonic pelicans" once navigated their way above a vast inland sea covering central Australia.
The 100-million-year-old fossilised remains of one such creature have been identified as a new species of pterosaur, powerful flying predators with wingspans of up to 12 metres.
PhD candidate Adele Pentland led a research team from Curtin University which identified the new species as Haliskia peterseni.
Their peer-reviewed study, published in Scientific Reports/Springer Nature, identifies an "intense looking" predator that captured oceanic prey in a 60-centimetre jaw full of spike-shaped teeth.
"The group that I work with have sort of been called demonic pelicans. Haliskia peterseni had a 4.6-metre wingspan – that's bigger than the largest bird we have around today, bigger than any species of albatross."
Ms Pentland said the exciting discovery of the most complete pterosaur skeleton found in Australia added valuable information to the national fossil record.
A lucky find
The remains of the newly identified species were first discovered in 2021, dug from the fossil-rich soils of outback western Queensland by Kevin Petersen, who curates fossil museum, Kronosaurus Korner.
Long before birds took wing, pterosaurs were the first vertebrate animals to fly.
When Mr Petersen saw the remains poking out of the ground at Kronosaurus Korner's public dig site near the town of Richmond, he immediately recognised them as belonging to a pterosaur.
He said he was thrilled the fossil had finally been confirmed as a new species.
"I'm getting pretty excited — it's hard to explain, a bit of relief that it's finally all over and it's definitely a new species," he said.
"The whole time you're sort of nervous."
Kronosaurus Korner sits in a part of Queensland once covered by the shallow Eromanga Sea, and Ms Pentland said it was an area renowned for its significant fossil deposits.
"I've never seen anything like it in Australia. In Richmond, really it's low effort, high reward," she said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if someone digging at these public dig pits outside of Richmond found something even more complete. I think it's only a matter of time."
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